Leaders as Social Architects

An architect plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings a leader plans, designs and oversees the implementation of visions. Leaders can be defined as social architects because they paint a compelling picture of where the organisation wants to go and lets people know how they can contribute. Leaders create the vision by framing a noble purpose and a broader benefit of the company for society that inspire, motivate, energise and lead followers towards a better future and to higher performance. They design this guiding star which draws everyone along the same path. Through their vision and mission leaders provide meaning for peoples work, something they can believe in. When employees believe the companys mission makes their job important, they are typically more engaged with their work, they feel a greater sense of pride and loyalty and are more productive. A vision connects to and clarifies the companys core values and represents a challenge that requires people to give their very best. Just like a real architect, a leader aims at bringing out the best in his people (comparison: make the best of all available resources) by illuminating important values and letting them be part of something bigger (comparison: the whole construction). To achieve the vision, leaders create an environment that makes them feel valued and commited to the companys strategic direction. With their passion they are able to inspire others and encourage them to take risks, think critically and work towards a common goal. Leaders need bifocal vision to meet current needs and obligations, while at the same time looking to the future and quickly change their tactic to take advantage of new opportunities. A leader also facilitates the connection between people who share the same vision and support each other in working towards the visions realisation. The vision, therefore, becomes the common thread connecting people, involving them personally and emotionally in the organisation. For organisations to succeed, leaders must not only dream big, but also link their hopes and dreams with strategic action and translate visions and missions into specific objectives and plans. A strategy needs to be drawn up so that employees know how to move towards the desired future. The same way as architects come up with several design drafts, leaders have to shift their strategy several times before they get it right. The same way an architect would listen to his/her customers and examine trends and discontinuities in the environment (that can be used in designing an innovative construction), a good leader prepares for the future based on trends he/she sees in the environment today. Strategy formulation alone, however, is not enough; strategies also need to be implemented through certain mechanisms, techniques or tools, which make up the basic architecture for directing all resources to accomplish strategic goals. The implementation process needs to be carefully and consistently managed; leaders have to ensure that actual behaviour within the organisation reflects the desired direction. Vision and mission statements affect the way an organisation and its leaders are perceived by their employees or co-workers and vice versa. Successful leaders not only know about their own values, strengths and weaknesses, they also know about those of other employees, which enables them to hire people that can fill up existing gaps in competencies. Telling prospective employees the companys vision in job interviews provides them with a better picture of the organisation and helps them to know whether they will fit in. This also applies to companies that ask employees to write a Strategic Leadership Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger 1

personal vision statement in order to be able to match an employees personal vision with the team vision. Leaders often forget that in order to achieve their vision it needs understanding and commitment throughout the whole organisation and many visions fail to adequately involve employees. To develop a shared vision, leaders share their personal hopes and dreams with others and encourage them to express their own hopes and dreams for the future. The outcome of this shows whether the leaders are open, have good listening skills and the courage to connect with their co-workers on an emotional level, which eventually leads to being trusted. People who feel trust in their leaders and regard them as having a clear sense of where company should go are typically more supportive of the companys strategy and put forth more effort to implement stragic decisions.

Daft, R. L. (2008). The Leadership Experience. Creating Vision and Strategic Direction, Chapter 13, pp. 387-419.

Strategic Leadership

Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger